Guilt
by Twilit Feline
Summary: Guilt. It eats at you, and it claws at your heart. You can't run away, you can't hide. You have to apologize.


A soft breeze swept through the open windows of the library, making the candle flames flap and stutter. A purple unicorn stood by a wooden window, her outline framed by the soft, white moonlight. Her horn was glowing softly, bathed in a soft purple light. A flower, pure white, and closed tightly, was gripped in the same purple light.

The unicorn, also known as Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia and close friend of Princess Luna, had her eyes shut tightly, all her energy being channeled into the tip of her horn. The flower suddenly glowed a brilliant white, and opened, a shower of pollen raining down from it. Twilight's eyes opened in glee, and a smile spread across her face as the flower started to change shape.

The white petals formed into feathers, and the stamens hardened and formed a golden beak. The stem turned white, and split into many feathers. After another few seconds of intense concentration, Twilight let go of the newly formed bird, and it fluttered to the windowsill. Gasping, her pelt coated in perspiration, the unicorn watched the dove spread perfect white wings, and take flight out into the night sky.

Still smiling broadly, Twilight levitated a scroll and a quill over to her, and checked something off. "Princess Celestia will be so proud!" she exclaimed happily. "I finally figured out how to do that Transfiguration spell." A noise in the doorway made the mare turn, and she smiled at the sight before her.

A small purple dragon with green scales stood in the doorway, his green eyes closed sleepily, and clutching a blue blanket tightly to his chest. "I'm sorry to have woken you Spike…" Twilight murmured, and apologetic tone to her voice. Spike shrugged, and attempted to stifle a yawn, with little luck. Smirking at the young dragon, Twilight levitated Spike over to his bed, and manually pulled the covers up.

"Sweet dreams." She murmured to him, before turning off the already dim lights, and trotting downstairs into the main room of her tree home. The room was adorned with bookcases, each jam packed with books of all shapes and sizes. She passed through another smaller room in the library, before entering her kitchen.

She opened her refrigerator door, and grasped a large bottle of milk with her magical power. Pouring it into a saucepan, the mare turned the heat up to "low," and then opened a cupboard with her magic. Twilight then grabbed a small tin of cocoa powder and levitated a spoonful out of it. She dumped it into the milk, which was now simmering. A wooden spoon then floated out of a drawer, and she started to stir the mixture.

Opening the cupboard once again, Twilight levitated the sugar over, and poured one tablespoon into the saucepan. Once a heavenly aroma had filled the kitchen, she poured it into a mug, and then levitated a can of homemade whipped cream over to the cup. She scooped a spoonful out, and dumped it in, then topped it with a sprinkle of chocolate shavings, and a dusting of cinnamon.

Taking her first sip, Twilight sighed contentedly. A soft pounding on the roof alerted her that it had begun to rain, but she loved rain. Walking over a bookshelf, she levitated a book off of it. It was called, "Pony Legends and Maretales," by Sunset Cloud.

Twilight flipped the book open to the table of contents, and began to search through the many chapters. "Hmm…." She murmured under her breath. "Nightmare Moon…the Sandmare…." Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a familiar name listed directly under "Sandmare."

Discord.

Twilight's heart began to beat fast, and the name seemed to pop off the page and swim around her. She slammed the book shut, and, still breathing hard, quickly put it back on the shelf. The purple mare began to pace around the library, her mind racing. Why had she reacted like that? It was only an old foe. Not like he's going to come back.

And then it hit her. That's it. Not like he's going to come back. That was just it. She wanted him to come back. Twilight wanted to feel the softness of his lion paw, and the fierce but gentle touch of his eagle talon. The unicorn felt embarrassed about how her heart started to beat faster when his head drew closer to hers. A nagging feeling was eating in the back of her brain, and in the center of her heart.

It was guilt.

She had loved so much to see him laughing, to see him happy in the midst of all his chaos. Long-legged rabbits, chocolate rain and cotton candy clouds were some of the things that the mismatched creature loved. And then…the horrible expression that would be forever frozen on his face because of her. Twilight and her friends imprisoned him in stone, trapped him in a statue that he had just escaped.

Discord had been so happy to be free…and then…the Elements of Harmony had gone and trapped him back in the prison he had fought so hard to escape. Twilight walked over to the window and opened the latch, letting the rain beat down on her face. _When I stand in the rain…no one can see me crying…_ Twilight thought sadly, as tears began to trickle down her face.

She flopped into bed, grief knowing at her insides, eating her from the inside out. The unicorn mare began to sob into her pillow. Luckily, the pillow muffled her heartbroken cries of guilt and sorrow. "I'm sorry…" she murmured over and over. "I'm so, so, sorry…"

Twilight had never taken another creatures freedom before, and it felt horrible. She wondered briefly how Princess Celestia had done it twice, once with Discord, and then once with Luna. Now, she would never even get a chance to say how terrible she felt for cruelly ripping away Discord's freedom, like a predator that had finally caught its helpless prey.

There was a light tapping on the window, but Twilight dismissed it as a branch hitting it. The tapping came again, this time, louder, and more frequent. Twilight groaned softly, not wanting to get up from the bed, but she did, and walked over to the window. She unlocked it with her magic, and then looked outside. She saw nothing but a branch. "AUGH!" she yelled into the night. "Stupid branch." She spat at it, preparing to levitate it away from her window.

Just then, the branch began to morph. It elongated, thickened, and turned a light brown. The two knotholes on it's side extended and became wings. Four legs became visible, along with a tail. At last, a distinctive head was able to be seen. It had large ears, two horns, and large glowing yellow and red eyes. A goatee adorned the chin, and a long fan protruded from it's mouth.

Twilight gaped like a fish out of water. "But…I….stone…element…harmony…" She stared, her eyes wide at the creature in front of her. "Discord?" she finished incredulously. Shaking her head furiously, she decided she must be dreaming. "Happy to see my dear?" Discord asked smiling.

Twilight beamed at him, and tears sprung to her eyes. Discord slithered in through the window, and landed on the floor of Twilight's bedroom. "I…" she stammered intelligently. "I…What are you doing here?" she said, a slightly hostile tone to her voice. She immediately clamped a hoof over her mouth. She hadn't meant to sound rude.

A slightly hurt look crept into Discord's eyes. "I wanted to see you." He said simply, not explaining further than that. "I'll go if you want…I just thought….I'd stop by…."

Twilight blinked. This wasn't the Discord she knew. The Discord she knew was cocky and wasn't nervous about anything. "No." she said, stopping him from exiting her bedroom. "No…don't go. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so hostile." She then noticed a long cut down Discord's side. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed.

Walking over to were he stood, she lit up her horn to get a better look in the dim lighting of the room. Discord, realizing where her gaze was trained, quickly turned. "It's nothing!" he said, trying to shrug, but wincing in pain instead. "Just and old wound…." Twilight however, would hear none of his protests as her horn glowed once more, and she touched the area around the cut gently. The vibrant shade of red faded to a light pink, and she stepped back, satisfied with her work.

"It's not perfect, but it's what I can do." She said, examining the cut again. "I got rid of the infection and put a charm on it that will stop dirt from getting in it." Discord blinked, but he smiled. "Thanks Sparklebutt."

Twilight realized that some of his original cheer and charm had returned, and she was glad. "So. How DID you escape?" she asked the draconequues, leading him down the staircase and past a still-sleeping Spike. The mare quickly made a batch of hot chocolate at Discord's request, and he drank it, licking his lips once he was finished.

"That was pretty good for somepony who doesn't like sweets very much." Discord stated. Twilight shrugged modestly, but inside, her heart sung with the praise. "How did I escape?" the mismatched creature asked, sitting down on a cloud he had created.

"It's simple really. I was trapped in my stature in the Canterlot gardens, when I started to feel guilty." Discord said, looking slightly ashamed for having just admitted his emotions to the lavender unicorn. Twilight, who was busy reheating her cold hot chocolate, nearly pulled a muscle, her head shot up so fast. She had been feeling that way too.

"I felt guilty for causing a certain somepony so much sadness, and for putting this chaos in her life." Discord continued, seeming to not notice that Twilight was staring at him. "I felt like all I wanted to do was go apologize…and then suddenly…I was out. Out of my prison."

Twilight was staring at the mismatched creature in front of her, hot chocolate forgotten. "W…who is this…somepony…" she managed to choke out around the lump forming in her throat. Discord looked at her. "She's smart, she thinks about others first, and she's extremely loyal to her friends and teachers. She's super advanced with her magic, and she loves to read. " Discord said, a glazed look in his eyes.

"She…she sounds lovely." Twilight said coldly, more coldly then she had intended, but she didn't care. "So. Are you here just to tell me about her, or are you gong to get going and find her? The doors that way." She stated, illuminating a path of light with her horn. 'Why did you come see me if you're obviously so in love with this mare? I don't need to know the details. Are you here to gloat, or maybe just to taunt me? Say that I'll never have a special somepony because I'm too unlikable?"

Twilight noticed the look of pain and hurt flash across Discord's gaze, but she didn't stop. She was on a roll, and was determined to finish. "I don't care about you. I never have, I never will. All you are is a selfish, gloating, teasing, chaos-creating MORON who doesn't care about anypony else's feelings! You should just leave!" When Discord didn't, Twilight glared at him, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"YOU SHOULD JUST LEAVE! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! I NEVER HAVE, AND I NEVER WILL!"

Twilight stood, breathing heavy, her eyes burning with a fire of fury and pain. "I don't care that I'll never have a very special somepony to spend my days with, someone to grow old with..." As she continued her list, the tears in her eyes started to fall, fast and furious. "So just leave. Please…just go away Discord. I'm sorry, but go away."

Without another word, Twilight ran upstairs and slammed the door behind her, and muffled sobs could be heard from upstairs. Discord stood in the living room, in a state of shock and confusion. "Twilight…" he murmured, floating up the staircase, and attempted to push open the door.

He was thrown back with a magical force so strong, it knocked him to the first floor. He lay, winded. Standing up, he turned and exited into the pouring rain._"When I walk in the rain….no one can see me crying." _Discord thought sadly, as the tears trickled down his face.

Twilight lay in her bed, sobs racking her entire body. There was no use denying her emotions now. She loved Discord. She always had, always will. And Discord was in love with another mare. A fresh wave of sobs shook the unicorn mare, and she felt Spike pull the covers up over her, and tuck her pillow under her head, however, she couldn't sleep.

She stayed awake long into the night, tossing and turning, until she made her decision. She would go apologize. Knowing Discord, he was probably in the Everfree forest, a place where he could hide for the time being. Twilight briefly wondered if the Princesses knew of Discord's escape. Clambering out of bed, Twilight used a simple charm to fix her mane and tail.

The lavender unicorn trotted down the stairs, her eyes narrowed in determination. Focusing all her magical power into the tip of her horn, she felt the familiar tingling sensation that meant the spell was working. She sniffed loudly, feeling hot tears spring to her ears. She had been so rude to him! What had come over her?

For all she knew, this mare could be one of her unicorn friends. For crying out loud, it could be Rarity! Well, if that was true, Spike certainly would NOT be happy. However, Discord's words had stung her, even if that was the last thing he had intended. What if she never did have a special somepony to grow old with? Someone to tell her she looked beautiful when her mane was a complete disaster? Someone to tell her that they would love her until the end of time itself…

Well. She wasn't going to let those thoughts deter her from her destination. She opened the door with her magic, and shut it behind her, quietly, so as not to wake Spike. The unicorn started to gallop towards the Everfree forest. Tears cascaded down from her eyes, and her mane whipped around her face, and her tail around her flank and hind legs. Reaching the edge of the Everfree forest, she quickly crossed the small bridge that crossed the river.

The wind whistled through the trees, rustling their leaves. Each leaf seemed to have a small voice, and seemed to be taunting Twilight.

"_Discord hates you now…"_

"_Nopony will love you…."_

"_Why are you such an egghead?" _

"_You're such a no-it-all!"_

"_Bossy, stuck-up, Element of Magic." _

Twilight let a soft sob escape her mouth, and she lowered her head as she continued to walk slowly among the trees, keeping a look out for Discord, and any dangerous animals or plants.

She reached a small stream, and peered into it to see her reflection. All she saw was a bossy, goody-good, stuck-up, prissy, Element of Magic. Twilight plunged her hooves into the stream, shattering her reflection, tears running down her face, salty water mixing with the fresh water of the stream.

Twilight wondered if she could drown herself in this petite stream, and be done with it. However, a little voice in the back of her head told her to keep going, and it took all her will to listen to it and keep trotting through the forest. She passed Zecora's hut, and the windows were lit.

Twilight quickly teleported a few feet past the cottage, not wanting to talk to the zebra at the moment. She heard a rustling of branches, and looked up, her eyes still wet with tears. "Di…Discord?" she stammered, hoping against hope itself that it was him.

There was silence.

Twilight sighed, and started to walk away when a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You called?"

Twilight whipped around, her eyes alight with hope. She saw the strange mismatched creature hovering in midair. She saw dried tear tracks on his face, and wondered why he had been crying.

Not even bothering to think about the consequences, she thrust herself into his arms, sobbing. "I'm so sorry!" she wailed. "I don't know what came over me!" she continued to stammer her apologies, Discord stroking the back of her mane with his lion paw.

When she was done, she sniffed loudly and looked up at him, tears still running down her face. Discord looked at her. She looked so sad, so genuinely heartbroken, and he couldn't stand to see the normally cheerful mare look so broken. "It's alright Twilight. I forgive you." He said softly, still stroking her mane.

Her eyes lit up, and a bright smile lit her face. She hugged him tightly, causing Discord's eyes to widen slightly. No one had ever hugged him before…it felt nice. He barely hesitated before returning the gesture.

Once they finally broke apart, Twilight was feeling considerably better, but something still weighed her heart down. It was probably better to ask. "Discord…who's the ma…" she was cut off by a thunderous boom, and a blinding light.

"Discord!" snarled a angelic voice, anger tainting it. A white alicorn with a flowing multi-colored mane stood in front of the two, her wings spread wide, and her eyes magenta eyes narrowed in warning.

"Leave Twilight alone!" snapped a younger voice. A slightly smaller midnight blue alicorn stood, her wings tucked at her sides, but her horn was glowing a transparent blue. Her green eyes were also narrowed.

Both alicorns wore crowns, horseshoes, and a necklace/decorative chest piece. They were the royal sisters, Goddess of the Sun, Princess Celestia, and her younger sister, Goddess of the Night, Princess Luna.

And both looked mad.

Twilight yelped. "Princess Celestia! Luna! I…" she was cut off by Celestia's horn lighting up, and she lowered her head, her eyes narrowed venomously. Her gaze was one of pure hate and rage.

"Put. Twilight. Down." Celestia ordered, and then Twilight and Discord realized how this must look to Celestia and Luna. They had just finished hugging, and Discord was still holding Twilight, having yet to place her back down on the ground.

"I will KILL YOU Discord!" Luna snarled. "FOR LAYING ONE CLAW ON MY BEST FRIEND!" Twilight's mane was blown back slightly from the force of Luna's 'Royal Canterlot Voice.' Twilight made a mental note to never get Luna mad. Ever.

"Stop!" Twilight cried. "It's not what you think! Discord didn't capture me! I went looking for him!" she searched the Princesses gaze for some form of response.

"What?" Luna gasped. The magical aura surrounding her horn abrubptly died down, and she blinked in astonishment. "But THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!" She yelped, using the Royal Canterlot voice again.

Twilight looked at Celestia, and her teacher and friend had a slightly shocked look on her face. She had taken it better then Luna, but Twilight felt some explaining was in order. "I was practicing a Transfiguration spell, and suddenly, this branch outside my window began to change shape."

Twilight paused. Both alicorns were listening, though Celestia's magical energy had not died down yet. "It was Discord. We talked briefly, until he mentioned he was in love. This set me off for some reason…and I…I yelled at him, and insisted he leave. After he left, I couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to follow him, if just to apologize. He had just said he had forgiven me when you two came."

At the end of this statement, Celestia's magic finally died down. "I am…startled, my faithful student." She said finally, after several long moments of silence. "I…will leave you and Discord alone, so long as he promises not to hurt you."

"I will do the same." Luna stated, and the two sisters and Twilight all looked expectantly at Discord. Discord placed Twilight on the ground and promptly stated,

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" complete with all the paw/talon motions. When everyone gaped at him, he smirked. "I picked up a couple things from Pinkie Pie."

Twilight snickered, and Luna started to giggle. Even Celestia giggled slightly. "What's so funny?" Discord asked, confused. Twilight turned to him.

"You can NEVER break a Pinkie promise! Pinkie Pie thought Applejack did once, and she had fire in her eyes! Litterally!" Twilight said, still giggling. This brought on another round of giggles from Luna, and a wider smile from Celestia.

"Alright sister, I think we should leave these two in peace." Luna said, placing a wing on her sister's shoulder, and the two departed swiftly, launching into the air and flying swiftly away.

"So which is worse? Breaking a Pinkie Promise and facing her, or facing Celestia and Luna when they're both mad?" Discord asked, watching the two alicorns depart. Twilight snickered.

"Breaking a Pinkie Promise! No contest!" she said. "I swear, Pinkie Pie has the tenacity of an Ursa Major when it comes to hunting you down and getting revenge." Twilight finished, a brilliant smile lighting her features. The smile slipped off her face when she remembered what she was going to ask Discord before the interruption.

Discord noticed that Twilight's smile quickly dropped off of her face, and he blinked. "What's wrong Twilight?" he asked, worry evident in his voice. "Are you hurt?"

Twilight shook her head, but then remembered something. "That cut!" she pointed the cut she had healed earlier. "Did the Princesses do that to you?" She asked, her eyes wide with shock and horror.

Discord sighed, but nodded his head.

Twilight gasped. "I'm so sorry…" she murmured.

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Discord?"

"Yes?"

"Who…who's the ma…mare you like?" Twilight stammered, her heart pounding. She didn't know if she could stand to hear the answer. It would take little effort to run away, and never hear the answer, but she needed to know. She needed to know who Discord loved.

"Her name…is Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh." Twilight said dejectedly, not registering what he said. Suddenly, the reality of what he had said hit her like a bale of hay. "Wait…_WHAT?_" she stammered, her eyes widening in shock.

"You." Discord said, now worried at her reaction. She had taken it badly, and he wasn't sure whether or not to run/fly away. How could he have told her that? He had given her nothing but trouble, he made it a point to taunt her, take away her horn, take away her friends, and now…he was saying her loved _her._

"Y…you do?" Twilight stammered, completely convinced this was a dream, at an any moment, her alarm was going to go off, and she would wake up to a regular day. She hoped that if it was a dream, that it could last just a little bit longer.

"Yes Twilight. I love you." Discord said softly, his eyes reflecting all the emotions he felt. Worry, nervousness, fear, and…love.

Twilight felt her heart sing. He loved her! Discord loved her! And the best part was…she loved him back. With every ounce of her entire being. She sniffed loudly. "Oh gosh…I'm going to cry…" she murmured. Lifting her gaze to meet Discord's, she smiled up at him brightly. "I love you too Discord." She said bravely.

"Yo…you do?" he stammered, in a state of shock. He thought she was going to reject him, tell him she already had a colt friend, rip him apart verbally, but not tell him…she loved him.

Discord held open his arms, and Twilight walked into them, and she smiled softly. She could hear the beating of Discord's heart, and she felt so at peace. She could stay like this forever. And they stayed, hoof in paw, until the rays of the morning sun peeked over the trees, and Twilight knew that this was the dawn of a new start.

**A/N: So what did you think? Love it, hate it? Tell me in the reviews! (Trust me I'm like Rainbow Dash after she was announced the winner of the Best Young Fliers competition. "OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!")**

**Disclaimer: I do not own MLP or Hasbro. **


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